Welcome to the World's First Great Big Vegetable Challenge! Six years ago we went on a vegetable journey of a lifetime. A 7 year year old boy named Freddie and his mother faced up to the challenge of turning him from a Vegetable-Phobic into a boy who will eat and even enjoy some of life's leafier pleasures. We ate through the alphabet of vegetables...and returned to tell the tale. Join our Great Big Veg Challenge!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

L is for Leeks

We reached L for Leeks the weekend we all went to Wales. This was Freddie’s first visit, his first experience of a formal dinner party to celebrate my Aunt and Uncle’s Ruby wedding anniversary. Freddie wore his first suit and sat amongst the adults. There was nobody there to protect him from the menacing plates of green. It began well. They served him Welsh lamb and new potatoes. He flinched slightly at the mint sauce. The next vanguard of waiters sashayed towards him with the real test, the vegetables.The waitress smiled and presented him a platter of vegetables. He went slightly pink. “I’ll have a bit of everything please.” Everyone cheered. And not only did he invite the vegetables on to his plate: he ate them. We came home with a bunch of welsh leeks and a new confidence. I remember leeks as a child were always served up in a slimy cheese sauce. Our first leek recipe was very different. I paired the leeks with Caerphilly cheese and put them in a puff pastry tart. There was no hint of sliminess. Freddie and Alex both scored this ten out of ten. Leek and Caerphilly Cheese Tart 250g leeks2 tbsp olive oil1 clove of garlic100g Caerphilly cheese375g of readymade puff pastryBalsamic glaze (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200C. Roll out the pastry to a 35cm x 22 cm rectangle. Place on a sheet of siliconised baking parchment on top of a baking sheet. With a knife, lightly score 2 cm in from the edge, all around the rectangle. This will rise to make a ridge when the pastry cooks. Top and tail the leeks and finely slice them. There should be 250g in weight. Add them to a frying pan with olive oil and sauté with a chopped clove of garlic. Stir all the time on a medium heat for about 3 minutes. Don’t let them burn. Scatter the leeks evenly over the pastry within the inner rectangle. Make shavings of Caerphilly cheese using a vegetable peeler or grater. Scatter the cheese over the leeks. If you can’t get Caerphilly Cheese, try any white cheddar cheese.If you like you can drizzle a little balsamic glaze on top.Put in the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until the pastry is completely risen, cooked and golden brown. Serve hot or cold.

10 comments:

Well done to you both, Freddie & Charlotte, what a triumph! In the long run, that's partly what this is all about. Freddie: even if the vegetables weren't your favourite thing, you were able to tackle them and even, maybe, find that you enjoyed them just a little bit. What a star you are.And the leek tart looks great, we shall certainly be trying that.

What a triumphant moment for you both!!! The sweet smell of success indeed - what a great photo.And this tart looks so good that when I saw the words "caerphilly" and "balsamic glaze," I let out an involuntary sigh. By the way, I posted my nominees for Blogging for Positive Change as well as a great big thanks to you!

Thank you Holler,David, Figs Olives Wine and Charlotte. I was very proud of him and his sister who looked just as smart and enjoyed every moment of that meal. I have also noticed we are all eating together as a family more and more often - there is no dual menu in place anymore - one for Freddie and another for the rest of us. It is so much easier to cook when everyone can join in.

Magic Cochin - it is the very same Freddie. Amazing. But we have been doing this now for 9 months and the progress is very gradual and not always consistent but I just dont get stressed about it anymore. I know he is changing slowly on his terms so long as we keep things interesting and tasty.

Freddie has to be added to the list of "new food triers". What a great blog you have to interest the veggie phobic!!! This tart looks delicous with it's flaky layers. Can you suggest a substitution for Caerphilly cheese??? I am not familiar with it living in Canada.

Valli, Caerphilly cheese is a white crumbly cheddar I suppose. Do you have anything like that in Canada?If not, you could actually make a lovely version with feta cheese crumbled or even goats cheese if you like the flavour. Charlotte